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Remembering 2009: Overcoming expectations

November 9, 2012, 2:51 PM ET [8 Comments]
Aaron Musick
Colorado Avalanche Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
When an Avalanche fan is asked about their favorite years, common answers are usually 2001, 1996 and maybe even 2003.

In the first two years mentioned, the Avs won the Stanley Cup and in the third year, the Avs set the record of consecutive division wins, overtaking the Vancouver Canucks in the division on the last day of the season while Peter Forsberg and Milan Hejduk overtook Markus Naslund for the league lead in points and goals, respectively.

However, one of the years that was fun to be a part of and watch has to be the 2009-10 season. The season was supposed to be a terrible one for the Avs. They had finished the past season bottom three in the league and were expected to do so again, to be players in the Taylor Hall sweepstakes. Looking at their roster, it was not a playoff caliber team.

Their goaltender was a "career backup" Craig Anderson, their captain an aging Adam Foote joined by a motley crew of defensemen and their head coach was a first year head coach with negligible experience.

On offense, they were supposed to rely heavily on third overall pick Matt Duchene, an offensive center supposed to infuse the team with some energy and creativity . Even with him, the Avs weren't expected to do much.

Duchene was good, as advertised. He was quick, agile and creative with the puck. Duchene provided a spark for the Avs to run an up-tempo offensive system, relying on their speed and tenacity to overcome their deficiencies in talent.

Beginning the season, the Avs' new identity and the spectacular play of Anderson, the Avs were the hottest team with a 10-2-2 record, the best team in the league through that month.

No one was expecting the Avs to be good, not even okay. That meant little to the team, they just went out every game and played as hard as they could, making them competitive every game. It did not matter that the Avs were supposed be doormats, to be walked (skated) over, they just defied expectations.

In many ways, Ryan O'Reilly is the personification of this season. Drafted 33rd overall in the 2009 draft, O'Reilly was going to be the future third line center, or at least that was how he was billed. Future. Not the year he was drafted. O'Reilly came into camp and blew everyone away to make the team on a ten game trial. Avs fans figured, "yeah, sure, it'll be good to get a look at him, a preview of coming attractions."

Well, as it turned out, that movie got an early release and O'Reilly made the team as a rookie and proved he was able to play defense on the NHL level. He was the first non-first round draft pick to make an NHL team since Patrice Bergeron did it with the Bruins in 2003-04.

O'Reilly didn't listen to the critics who said he shouldn't make the team, he just went out, worked hard and made it anyway, the same thing the Avs of that year. It didn't matter what the critics said, the Avs just defied them anyway and made the playoffs.

San Jose got the Avs in the first round where they were pushed to a six game series before eliminating the Avs.

2009-10 won't be remembered with a trophy but it is still personally a favorite year because the entire year defied expectations, where the Avs, who weren't supposed to be competitive, surprised everyone to make the playoffs.

Everyone loves a winner, as the saying goes, but it is especially sweet to see a team everyone counted out step up and win against all odds; just like the Coyotes the past few years, the Colorado Rockies baseball team in 2007 and the current story of the Indianapolis Colts winning for their coach battling Leukemia.

These unexpected underdog stories are some of the best in sports and one of the reasons sports are still my personal best choice for entertainment.

That year, I fell in love with that Avs team and it made all the time, money and effort spent to support them worthwhile.
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